1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a product sampler packet assembly for sampling purposes as well as for insertion in magazines, catalogs, and periodicals delivered to consumers, and more particularly to a packet assembly with an adhesive bond between a packet and a carrier card to provide an enhanced burst strength of the assembly.
2. Background Art
Manufacturers of cosmetics, toiletries, beauty and skincare products commonly promote their products by distributing free samples to current or potential consumers with the goal of building and/or maintaining customer loyalty for the products or product lines. Typically, each sample is packaged in a disposable sampler package which is generally sized to contain approximately one unit dose of the product in an attractive display having artwork or informational copy printed thereon. A sampler package having these aesthetic features will encourage the potential customer to sample the product and enable the consumer to experience a product.
One method of distributing sample packages to potential customers is in a store in which the product is sold. However, a further reaching, more effective method has been to mail the sampler package to a targeted audience through the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). Typically, the sampler packages are mailed as inserts in periodicals, brochures, catalogs, magazines, or the like.
For distribution through the USPS, the sampler packages can be mailed either under a non-discounted rate classification or under a more economical periodical/subscription rate classification. To qualify for the periodicals/subscription rate, each sampler package must comply with certain guidelines set by the USPS. For example, the sampler package must be firmly affixed to a carrier card or to a page of the periodical, and designed to allow the product to be sampled while remaining affixed in the periodical. Sampler packages for distribution as inserts must also be non-bulky and sufficiently flexible to avoid breakage in shipment or storage.
When the product to be sampled is a fluid and/or volatile composition such as a liquid, creme, lotions, color cosmetics, gel or paste, bindery and distribution environments typically require that the sampler package must also be capable of withstanding the substantial compression forces exerted on the sampler package when inserted in periodicals, such as magazines, brochures or catalogs, which are then stacked for storage or distribution.
In one type of prior art sampler package as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,885 to Daniel et al., a liquid fragrance sample is disposed in a container made of gelatin which is designed to distribute compressive forces away from the portion of the container retaining the sample so as to avoid rupture during shipment or storage. This container, however, provides thickened edges surrounding the sample-containing portion, and also concentrates the volume of the sample into a cylindrical central region. When the disclosed sampler packages are placed as inserts in a stack of magazines or the like, the stack becomes cumulatively bulky due to the significant thickness of the disclosed sampler package, thus creating a “footballing” effect in the stack of magazines.
Another sampler package as disclosed in Meehan, U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,574, provides a sampler for a liquid product contained in a flexible envelope made from a film material. The sampler package is protected from bursting by sandwiching the edges of the envelope between two layers of a rigid material having a combined thickness at least that of the envelope having the product contained therein. To sample the product, however, one must detach the envelope from the rigid layers, rather than simply opening and testing the product while still affixed in the package.
A further attempt to meet the USPS regulations is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,860 to Gunderman. The Gunderman patent employs a planar support frame for surrounding a portion of the filled sampler package.
In view of the prior art discussed above, the need exists for a sampler packet assembly designed for distribution as an insert in subscription rate periodical literature, wherein the assembly has enhanced burst strength, allows a consumer to test or sample the product with the sampler remaining affixed to the carrier medium, and is substantially flat or non-bulky to avoid a cumulative “footballing” effect. The need also exists for a sample packet assembly that has reduced components, thereby reducing weight and cost.